MNF, Congress open talks after hung Lai Council; ADC horse-trading fears resurface

Aizawl, Dec 9: The Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Congress held separate meetings in Lawngtlai on Tuesday evening to assess coalition possibilities after the Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC) elections threw up a fractured mandate.

With no party crossing the majority mark of 13 in the 25-member council, both parties began internal consultations on whether to explore an arrangement for forming the next executive committee.

MNF vice president and state opposition leader Lalchhandama Ralte said the pre-poll written understanding between the two parties would be reviewed by both central and state leaderships in consultation with the newly elected MDCs.

Congress vice president C. Ngunlianchunga echoed the position, saying the party was awaiting directions from its high command.

This round of meetings follows a closely watched election in which the MNF emerged as the single-largest party, winning eight seats - a sharp fall from the 20 it swept in 2020, but still enough to stay ahead of its rivals in a council once considered its stronghold.

The Congress staged a remarkable resurgence, jumping from a solitary seat in 2020 to seven this time. The ZPM, which failed to open its account last term, secured six, while the BJP improved its tally from one to two. Two Independents also entered the council.

Political observers said the fractured mandate had once again exposed the volatility that routinely engulfs Mizoram’s ADCs. With the Anti-Defection Law not applicable to autonomous councils, defections and shifting loyalties have frequently toppled administrations mid-term, even when clear majorities existed.

Analysts fear the LADC could now head into another phase of fluid alignments, deal-making and unpredictable reshuffles.

For the ruling ZPM, the outcome is another setback - the second in a row after its defeat in the Dampa bye-election. Civil polls in Mizoram have historically tended to favour the party in power at the state level, making ZPM’s repeated losses particularly striking and, for many within the party, embarrassing.

The Congress’s revival is being widely credited to C. Ngunlianchunga, the lone Congress MLA and a widely respected figure in the Lai district.

Contesting the LADC polls himself, he secured a win, which observers say helped restore organisational morale and voter confidence.

As both MNF and Congress weigh their next moves and smaller players signal willingness to negotiate, a clearer picture of the emerging coalition, or the coming turbulence, is expected by late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.